UK £
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Friday 24th May 2019
96-99 AG - “Dense and hedonistically ripe, the 2018 is a stunningly beautiful wine... Quite simply, I have never tasted anything like it.”
97-99 WA - “Full-bodied, wonderfully dense, rich, impossibly layered and very, very decadent, the palate delivers all it promises on the nose, with a firm, wonderfully velvety frame and finishing with epic length, a scintillating wave of freshness and a beguiling perfume. This is one for true hedonists.”
96-98 JD - “Full-bodied, powerful, beautifully textured and layered, it's reminiscent of the magical 2009 with its rare mix of both hedonistic and intellectual pleasure.”
The Second Growth Chateau Brane Cantenac is released at £610 per 12. The 2018 is a gorgeous layered Margaux that comes highly recommended by Jeb Dunnuck - "irresistible 2018 that should be snatched up by readers".
Phelan Segur (£420) has really been hitting its stride lately and the 2018 continues a fine run of vintages for this rejuvenated St Estephe property. St Estephe is an appellation that really shone in 2018 and this a very fine example. 95-96 JS "This is the most powerful Phélan Segur I have ever tasted".
Finally we have Grand Puy Ducasse at £326 per 12. Consulting Oenologist Hubert de Bouard has led a move towards a more elegant style for this Classed Growth Pauillac that has really paid dividends in 2018. 92-95 AG "The 2018 Grand Puy Ducasse is gorgeous... The purity of the fruit is simply striking, while the explosive energy in the glass is a thing of beauty."
Prices
BRANE CANTENAC | £620 per 12x75 | £310 per 6x75
94-96 JD - It's a beautifully layered, sexy beauty loaded with notions of blackcurrants, spicy oak, camphor, and dried tobacco... This is another irresistible 2018 that should be snatched up by readers. It will keep for 25-30 years.
GRAND PUY DUCASSE | £326 per 12x75
92-95 AG - The 2018 Grand Puy Ducasse is gorgeous. In fact, the 2018 is one of the most polished and refined recent vintages I can remember tasting for a wine that up until recently was much darker and more extracted in style. The purity of the fruit is simply striking, while the explosive energy in the glass is a thing of beauty.
PHELAN SEGUR | £425 per 12x75
95-96 JS - This is the most powerful Phélan Segur I have ever tasted. A solid core of dense fruit and layered tannins that are so refined and polished. Remains fresh, energetic and bright. Yet, there’s plenty of harmony and balance.
PONTET CANET | £1038 per 12x75 | £519 per 6x75
96-99 AG - The 2018 Pontet-Canet is a freak of nature. Dark, rich and explosive, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness and concentration, much of it coming from tiny yields of just ten hectoliters per hectare, or one third of a normal crop. The 2018 soars out of the glass with stunning aromatic intensity and depth. Black cherry, gravel, grilled herbs, leather, lavender and menthol stain the palate. Dense and hedonistically ripe, the 2018 is a stunningly beautiful wine. The grapes were crushed by hand. Because of the tiny yields, the entire production was vinified in Pontet-Canet's new smaller concrete vats. All winemaking was done manually, without the aid of external temperature control or electricity. The 2018 is aging in a combination of 55% new oak and 45% terra cotta amphora. Quite simply, I have never tasted anything like it.
En Primeur
Wines available In Bond UK Summer 2021.
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